Normally, I rock out to the Pitbull station on Pandora – hey, what can I say…. I’m from Miami – but today, I tried something different. I listened to NPR on my iPhone. I took the one hour run to catch up on Weekend Edition and world news.

Did it make me slower? You bet. There’s a lot of research that indicates that listening to fast-paced music makes you run faster (and slower music makes you go slower), so listening to talk radio really made my pace crawl. However, it was a nice change from the normal tunes. And I actually learned something. Hey, hey!

And now, I think I’m going to bake another pumpkin pie. Did I say I was looking forward to getting back to normal eating? I’ve changed my mind.

I’m glad you did that experiment on radio while running so I don’t have to. I was getting sick of my music so I thought about listening to a book on tape but I guess I’ll just find some different and fast music to listen to instead.

SharonNovember 25, 2012, 4:42 pm

I had a piece of pumpkin pie post run today. I’m not done with Thanskgiving yet!

MihailaNovember 25, 2012, 4:48 pm

I thought you were going to say it made you break a New Personal Record, lol.

Haha! Can never go wrong with some pie. 🙂 I often listen to talk radio while running; mainly podcasts. I love it although I agree it may affect my pace somewhat but I dont mind it. Today I ran with music and my miles were under 10 mins which I loved. So might try the music thing more often.

PattyNovember 25, 2012, 5:39 pm

I frequently listen to NPR on my runs, especially my long ones! I actually don’t notice much of a speed difference. I love NPR podcasts – foreign dispatch, Ask me another, It’s all politics, Wait Wait don’t tell me, Fresh Air and PLANET MONEY (!!!) !!!! You should get into those. they’ll make you crave the long runs!

I’ve been really into listening to NPR podcasts on my run recently, too. I’ve been doing Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and This American Life. I’m also a fan of Jillian Michaels’ podcast while I run (which I think you’ve mentioned on HTP before too??), and audiobooks. I don’t notice a difference in my performance. Actually, when I get caught up in the stories, I think it helps distract me to run faster!

RachelNovember 25, 2012, 6:51 pm

My favorite thing to listen to when I run is an audiobook (downloaded to my iphone). I usually pick a YA novel or a novel I’ve read before…it has to be easy to follow and have a more action-y plot. That way if I tune out for a minute I can still follow along, and I can get caught up in the story and the miles fly away. I don’t think it slows down my running since I don’t have to concentrate too hard (unlike the news or a more complex novel). I also like the idea of catching up on NPR during a run, especially for a long slow one!

I used to think I needed music to run, but I completed my Thanksgiving Day 5k this weekend with NONE! It definitely helps, but it’s not necessary. I’ve never listened to only talk though, seems a little boring, but if the topic is interesting enough maybe I’d be ok.

MerylNovember 25, 2012, 8:25 pm

I love listening to This American Life podcasts when I run. I’m sure I run slower but I love it too much to give up.

Love the idea of listening to npr on long runs, I’ve listened to audiobooks but never tried talk radio! I also love the idea of another pumpkin pie! I somehow feel like as long as I make a decently healthy whole grain crust and use stevia instead of sugar in the filling that pumpkin pie really isn’t all that bad for you! (I may or may not just be trying to rationalize my excessive pumpkin pie intake over the last few weeks)

I love listening to podcasts when I run. I find it a better distraction than music because it’s easier to get lost in news/stories. It doesn’t affect my pace, but then I’m not that fast a runner anyway. 🙂

I feel like listening to NPR would be painful if I was trying to go fast! I need super crazy energy music for runs. It’s probably a bad habit/crutch. I’m mentally putting together the three BEST FAST RUNNING SONGS EVER for when I try a mile time trial I want to do when I’m back to running. What three (or two, depending on how long they are) songs would I pick out of all the songs in the world to run my fastest mile ever?

KerryNovember 26, 2012, 3:27 pm

I love listening to This American Life on my long runs! Helps those miles stay interesting, but I only do it every once in a while because it also keeps me slow and lazy….

KerryNovember 26, 2012, 3:28 pm

And, I should mention, that This American Life is much more interesting to me than talk radio – even though I am a news junkie!

I’m not a Registered Dietitian (RD). For specific medical counseling, please contact a Registered Dietitian or your doctor. My blog posts are based on my own personal knowledge, experience, and opinions. This website's privacy policy is available here.